Like he meant it
by RobinSparkelz
Summary: Sakura knows the story well. A boy is in love with a girl, but the boy is arranged to marry another girl. Sakura also knows which girl the boy usually chooses. Too bad it isn't her. "He kissed her liked he meant it, but they both knew he didn't." Arranged Marriage AU. A Sasuke&Sakura story.


Like he meant it.

Chapter 1.

 _ **By: RobinSparkelz.**_

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Sakura knows the story well. A boy is in love with a girl, but the boy is arranged to marry another girl. Sakura also knows which girl the boy usually chooses. Too bad it isn't her. "He kissed her liked he meant it, but they both knew he didn't." Arranged Marriage AU. A Sasuke&Sakura story.

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Sakura is twelve when she meets her fiancé

She is old enough to know that this is not how normal people get married, but Sakura has been taught to mind her manners, mask her emotions and most of all to watch her tongue. This is why, when Mrs. Uchiha appears with her son, on the cobbled pathway leading to the gazebo, that has been set up in the garden for high tea, she gets up primly from her seat, stands upright next to her mother and greets the Uchiha matriarch with a sweet expression and a practiced smile, her son doesn't glance at her so Sakura doesn't say anything. The boy, Sakura knows does not want to be here anymore than she wants to, still, she is obligated to be polite so she attempts to coax the sullen boy into appropriate conversation. He answers her questions with a nod, or a curt yes until the servers appear with tea and she inwardly breathes a sigh of relief as she occupies herself with stirring in the sugar to her tea.

She picks a tiny cream cake from the three tiered cake stand, but just like always only takes the smallest bite, her mother's words ringing in her head, _"Ladies don't eat Sakura, they just_ _ **pretend**_ _to."_ But the cakes are fresh and the cream is sweet and she is so, _**so**_ very tempted to just take a proper bite, when Mrs. Uchiha breaks her out of her reverie and asks her how she likes attending _Tsuande Senju's Finishing School for Girls._

"I love it." Sakura answers honestly, as she thinks of the boarding school that is twelve hours away from Konoha by plane, nestled in the mountain range of Kumogakure. Twelve hours away from her absentee father and tyrant of a mother.

"From what your mother says, it sounds like you and Sasuke-kun do a lot of the same subjects at school. He goes to St. Konoha's."

"Oh." Sakura says, glancing at the boy whose attention is not on any occupant at the table but on the rose bushes to his side.

"Maybe you and Sasuke-kun can get together and help each other finish your holiday assignments."

"That sounds lovely." Sakura says, even though it's the last thing she wants.

Sasuke does not even attempt to hide his hatred of the idea, and he glares at his mother. She ignores him.

This is how Sakura comes to spend several afternoons in the silent company of one Uchiha Sasuke, in the Haruno library. She does not learn anything about him and she volunteers no information about herself. She does not understand why her parents and the Uchiha's insist they spend time together, until the Friday evening before she leaves back to school.

A huge, fancy dinner is prepared in their barely used dining room. It is the first time she sees Mr. Uchiha and Uchiha Itachi. It is also the first time she has dinner with her father ever since she's come home.

Mr. Uchiha is a formidable looking man with a stern face, and her greeting to him comes out softer than she intended because he makes her nervous. Uchiha Itachi smiles at her kindly taking her hand like a true gentleman and kissing it, "Very nice to meet you, Sakura." He murmurs softly. She supposes she would have blushed at his suave manner if his eyes hadn't looked at her so apologetically.

Sasuke does not greet her and even though she is used to his rude demeanour she thinks he could make more effort to be civil.

Dinner is stiff. Her father and Mr. Uchiha talk business, her mother pretends to eat and Mrs. Uchiha tries to coax Sasuke into conversation. When dessert arrives so does a leather folder filled with documents, it is then that her father gets up and makes a toast.

"To new business partners, and new family."

The adults all clink their wine glasses together in merriment, but Sakura frowns in confusion, _**"...new family?"**_

After dessert, her father requests that she and Sasuke go to his study.

She nods, murmurs an. "Of course" and gets up from her seat, Sasuke follows suit.

She has a multitude of questions, but she knows better than to voice any of them.

They wait ten minutes before her father and Sasuke's father appear, the leather folder in tow. They tell them to sit down in the plush leather chairs across her father's large oak desk and then Mr. Uchiha begins to speak, and everything falls in place like a puzzle clicking together.

Her face slowly drains of color as she begins to understand the forced afternoons spent in Sasuke's company, her mother asking her what she thought of him. Mrs. Uchiha saying how lucky she would be if she was her daughter. Uchiha Itachi's apologetic expression. The two contracts which her father and Mr. Uchiha have now set in front of her and Sasuke.

" _To new business partners and new family."_

 _New family._

 _New family._

 _New family._

 **New family.**

The words ring in her head over and over and _**over**_ again.

She feels like she is going to be sick and her head aches and everything spins around her in a blur of sickening colour. She clutches the armrest of her chair, and wills herself to calm down, but she can't and she begins hyperventilating, tears stinging at her eyes, her heart thundering against her ribcage.

"-kura."

"Sakura."

"Pardon?" she manages to choke out between her rapid breaths.

"You need to sign the contract." Her father says.

"Yes." She says. "Yes, of course."

Her entire body thrums in disbelief and shock at her father's nonchalant attitude to her obvious distress. She can feel the tears running down her face and her entire hand shakes violently as she picks up the pen, so much so that she drops it.

Breathe Sakura she tells herself.

Just breathe.

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It is on a Friday evening.

The day before she returns to school.

In her father's study.

That she steadies her hand.

Picks up the felt tip pen.

And signs a contract.

It is on that evening, at twelve years old that's she becomes Uchiha Sasuke's fiancé.

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 **Note:** Hi, this is a new story of mine even though I should be completing my others. Tell me what you think. Hope you enjoyed.


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